Sebastian (5th Duke of St. Ives) & Helena Rebecce de Stansion Comtesse d’Lisle

This is a romance between two intelligent, independent, and adventurous people who are made from the same cloth. They discover that they need each other and give to each other in equal measure but in different ways. Their emotions are shared more through physicality and deeds rather than words. That fact is not all that noticeable until the end when a reader tends to expect more traditional verbal declarations between love interests. There are some, don’t get me wrong, but it is not loaded with mush.

This book was written after the seventh book in the Bar Cynster series was released. This is a prequel to the complete series and gives the backstory behind the first (documented) couple of the family’s lineage as well as introduces others in their family line or acquaintance, whose stories you learn in more detail in future books.

Unfortunately, I read others’ reviews before starting this book.  Some contained screaming spoilers.  I will say that knowing certain things ahead of time did put a damper on my enjoyment; however, after completing the novel, I tip my hat to the author because I think the way she handled this story was brilliant in its foreshadowing.

  #.5 Bar Cynster series (prequel to series)